Iggy Azalea Covers ‘Complex,’ Defends Her American Accent (Again)

Despite two years of non-stop buzz, Iggy Azalea has yet to score a hit (or even chart on the Hot 100, for that matter). Team Iggy’s trying to fix that with the Aussie rapper’s latest single, “Change Your Life,” which currently has a big promotional push behind it. That brings us to Iggy’s naked Complex cover shoot, which sees the 22-year-old going for a Bettie Page-meets-Pamela Anderson look.

The cover comes with a semi-scandalous interview, in which Iggy admits to having sex with older men when she was 13 and addresses the controversy around her American accent. This is about the millionth time that the Mullumbimby-born rapstress has had to comment on her authenticity, but it continues to remain a hot topic with the media, regardless.

Race has been an issue since you first got noticed as the tall blonde who rapped. Did you understand that some people in the U.S. would think you were fake?
Yeah, but it’s retarded. The Rolling Stones go to America, play “black” blues music, and nobody has a fucking issue with it or thinks it’s weird. But here we are, 50 years later, in the 21st century, and people are like, “This is so weird that you’re white, from another country, and you like black music.” Why is it not weird for Keith Richards or Mick Jagger, but it’s so weird and taboo for me? Do you think a kid liking my music is gonna make rap music some other thing, or that all of a sudden nobody’s gonna like Scarface?

In a country where “speaking black” has been a hindrance in almost every profession but rap, do you see how a white person making money in rap by adopting this accent could ruffle feathers?
If you’re mad about it and you’re a black person then start a rap career and give it a go, too. I’m not taking anyone’s spot, so make yourself a mixtape. Or maybe if you’re black, start singing like a country singer and be a white person. I don’t know. Why is it such a big deal? This is the entertainment industry. It’s not politics. You should be more concerned about the message, not the voices saying it.

Have you ever rapped with your Australian accent?
Never. It feels weird to me. It’s the inflection at the end of a sentence when I take a breath. Obviously there are people who rap in all kinds of accents. But for me, rapping is like singing: The breath patterns aren’t the same as when I’m talking, so it’s easier to change into whatever I want. I couldn’t talk in an American accent—I could, but it would sound very fake—but I can rap in one with no problem.

Of course I’ve asked myself, “Does that make me fake?” I don’t think the voice makes me fake; it makes me an artist. Voice is my medium. I should have creative rein to do whatever the fuck I want with it. (Via Complex)

And there you have it. We look forward to the next time Iggy talks about her “black” accent, as well as the next time she’ll be naked in a magazine or music video. We give her a month, max, before both of those things happen again.